It’s been a while since I’ve shared anything style-related around here, so I wanted to share some of my favorite recent purchases/things I received for Christmas. Many of these things are upgrades of items that have worn out. Obviously this costs a little more, but hopefully these purchases will last longer.

I had a pair of sunglasses from Target for the longest time. I’m pretty sure Monica broke them, but they were probably about to break on their own anyways. Then I wore a pair of cheap Michelob Ultra freebie sunglasses from a half marathon. Then Monica broke those shortly before Christmas. (I hope this isn’t a trend!) John’s parents gifted me these sunglasses for Christmas and I’m being extra careful with them by keeping them out of Monica’s reach.

I was in the market for a new purse, particularly a cross-body bag because it’s difficult to wrestle a toddler and anything else at the same time. Yes, on the weekends I generally just carry the diaper bag with my wallet/phone/keys thrown in. And sure, it’s a slightly smaller purse, but in the hopes of simplifying, I’m forced to keep the junk out. This was a Christmas gift strategically purchased from Piperlime on Cyber Monday for 30% off :)

My silver Gola’s (first shared in this post) were looking really sad and I was due for a new pair of kicks. My running shoes are Saucony’s so I knew those would fit right. My sister thinks they’re old school, but I think they’re pretty fabulous. John thought suggested something a little more colorful (there are lots of snazzy colors available!), but I already have my pink shoes and wanted something a little more neutral.

Do you remember the movie “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” with the magic jeans that fit each friend perfectly? That’s how I feel about this sweater! My sister-in-law told me about the Bobeau over Christmas and shared this blog post written by her friend! It seems like this is universally loved cardigan. I’ve worn it to work, but usually wear it to lounge around the house or run errands on the weekends. Even though it feels like a blanket (especially on these frigid winter days!), I feel much more put together wearing this sweater than wearing a high school college hoodie. I have it in gray and am considering buying another color (maybe pink?) because this lovely is only $40!!

We can now wear jeans everyday in the office. That means my dress pants have been gathering dust and my jeans have been working overtime. I live in my Gap legging jeans and wanted something other than a standard blue jean that could be dressed up or down. These black jeans are a little stretchy and perfect (especially since I got them for 40% off!). You’re in luck because Gap is offering 30% off everything through February 21, 2015 using coupon code “MAJOR”.

OK, the Magna-Tiles were technically a Christmas gift for Monica, but John and I love playing with them too! We asked Monica’s teachers for Christmas gift suggestions and this is one of the items they recommended. At this point, Monica would rather knock down whatever we build (she’s 20 months old), but she’s starting to play with them more on her own.

I just realized I wore/used/played with every item on this list today! What are your current favorites you’d love to share?

It’s February and love is in the air once again! Of course, if you have a special someone you’d like to show your affections to this season, you might have to spend a little extra for something, right? Whether it’s a romantic dinner or a bunch of flowers, or a special Valentine’s Day gift, you’re probably prepared to spend more than a pretty penny, especially since high demand for romantic gifts makes their production more difficult, thereby increasing their price.

But there are many ways for you to save during the season of love, and often these ways can seem more heartfelt than just any old store-bought gift. If you decide to make something for your Valentine, but don’t want to spend on materials, or don’t have the luxury of time, here are some crafts you might want to consider:

Knot Bracelets

If you have some good quality string lying around your house, this is the perfect project for you. Remarkably Domestic, among other blog posts and YouTube videos, has some great tutorials. Make two bracelets so you and your loved one can have matching love bracelets. If you’ve never shown a creative, crafty side before, your partner is sure to love this.

Bingo Valentine’s Cards

Does your partner enjoy all things vintage? Try making a Valentine for them by using an old bingo card as a base. Information supplied by Free Bingo Hunter shows that bingo has all but lost its appeal, drawing hundreds of thousands of players to online bingo portals in the UK alone. There are all sorts of variants of bingo nowadays, and you can put your own twist on the bingo card by turning it into a Valentine with your own choice of vintage elements.

Crayon Hearts

If you’d like to add a little love to your decor, you can try Martha Stewart’s crayon hearts – a beautiful, elegant, yet unexpectedly simple craft that involves nothing more than shaving crayons and melting them into the perfect shape. Considering how many snow days there have been this season, this could be a fun project to combat cabin fever with the kids. You could hang these from the door as a mobile or against a window to give a room a more romantic ambience as the sun filters through the crayon hearts.

Ever since she successfully repurposed several old pairs of jeans into everything from headbands to placemats, Chun Nguyen has been on a quest to transform things she has lying around into something more. As they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and for Chun Nguyen, she occasionally finds that her own trash also holds her own undiscovered treasure!

Happy Friday! Do you have your Super Bowl party plans in place? We’re having some friends over and I’m still debating which New England- and/or Seattle-themed dessert to make!

I also wanted to pop in to let you know that I’ve started listing some of my excess Marimekko fabric in my Etsy shop. There’s some yardage as well as bundles of remnants and scraps that are perfect for smaller projects. It feels pretty good to start making room for new opportunities.

Maybe if I’m feeling ambitious, I’ll share slightly cleaned up “before” pictures of the office/studio and then create a design board for the room. Because there’s nothing like sharing a goal on the Internet to hold you accountable :)

While 2015 is shaping up to be an interesting year in football with the brouhaha of DeflateGate (insert #shrinkage joke), not to mention booking Katy Perry as the Super Bowl halftime show, at least I have the commercials to look forward to! Additionally, I’m looking forward to the snacks (guacamole!!) and my personal tradition of baking…

Hey there, January. While the rest of Internet is sharing uber-healthy recipes like an organic gluten-free kale cupcake (apparently that’s a real thing), I’m going to throw caution into the wind and tempt you with a cupcake from the opposite end of the New Year’s resolution spectrum. This cupcake is so good my coworkers said…

Hi friends! How is your 2015 going? Did you have a good Christmas? I definitely enjoyed my time off with family. In lieu of a New Year’s resolutions blog post, I thought I would share some of my New Year’s reflections on blogging and the coming year. As you may or may not have noticed,…

Need to make a last ditch effort to get on Santa’s “nice” list? I have three words for you….Christmas Ale Bacon! As I mentioned last week, we enjoyed the world’s greatest bacon from Cleveland’s Pork Chop Shop over Thanksgiving. In addition to your standard pepper bacon and maple bacon; they have Cajun bacon and the best…

This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. Thanks for supporting Fiscally Chic! Friends! I have fantastic news to share with you! I took the Series 65 exam yesterday and passed!! That means I’m one step closer to becoming a Registered Investment Adviser…

Tap, tap….Is this thing on? Things have been a bit quiet on the blog, but not for lack of activity. As you can tell from the post title, things have been all Series 65 (or Uniform Investment Adviser Law Exam), all the time. A good portion of my free time has been spent reading the…

Fiscally Chic is partnering with the Pirates of Financial Freedom to share this post. Opinions are my own. With gift guides flooding the Internet, you’re probably more than aware that Christmas is only three weeks away. Earlier this week, the Chicago Tribune shared “Smart financial gifts for young adults” and the first item on their…

This past weekend, John’s family got together to take pictures for Christmas cards. Admittedly, I fretted a bit too much about what our little family would wear. When you take photos, does everyone match? Or at least coordinate? I just purchased that Banana Republic plaid shirt; so I planned the outfits (in my head) around…

Back in September, I heard a great interview with Mary DeTurris Poust on Relevant Radio. In it, she talked about marriage and the Catholic faith. Seeing as it’s the date of our anniversary (our anniversary is September 13) I want to share this wonderful piece of advice with you, as expanded up in her blog post Marriage: It’s…

Last week, my friend Andy shared this post from MarketWatch on the “10 things rich people know that you don’t.” Naturally, I wanted to see if I knew these 10 things. Mom and Dad – I’m happy to report that your good financial habits rubbed off and I’m aware of all 10 habits. The bigger question…